Badass
by Avalon Ryan
Summary: Mary-Lynette isn't satisfied with the lack of attention coming from Ash.


"Ash!" I heard Rashel's voice yell, as she rubbed her shoulder. Ash had been passing a foam football with Quinn in the large living spare at Daybreak headquaters, and his aim was far from accurate on that throw. Considering he was a vampire, I figure it wasn't accidental.

"Sorry, sweetheart," Ash said, a charming grin plastered on his face, "Let me rub it better." Before Rashel could protest, Ash was giving her a back rub, much to Quinn's dislike. He walked over, crossed his arms, and I rolled my eyes, saying, "Hey, Prince Charming, get your hands off the vampire hunter." Rashel laughed as Ash backed away, bowing gracefully to Quinn, who gave him a very rude hand gesture. He turned, and plopped into a chair next to me, ruffling my hair affectionatly, "What ya reading, Mare?"

"Jane Austen," I replied, wincing internally at the short tone in my voice. Seeing Ash act so gallantly with Rashel wasn't a big deal, until he came over and ruffled my hair like I was his younger sister. This was happening more and more recently, and I have to admit, I'm pretty much sick of it.

"I'm going to go find Morgead," Ash finally said, after a long pause, "See you later?" I only nodded, and he hopped up and walked away, his casual strut prominent with his good mood. I resisted the strong urge to stick my tongue out at his back. He was clueless.

_

* * *

_

Dinner is always a loud affair, what with all the recent additions to Circle Daybreak. Lots are Soulmates, and we tend to stick together at a certain table. Of course, personalities range from one end of the scale to another, so fairly often conflicts arise. Tonight was looking like a good night, though, and Ash had managed to fit me into his schedule enough to walk me from my room to the dining hall. Unfortunately, Poppy sat to his left, so rather then talk to me, he spent most of the meal poking at her, much to James's disgust.

"Ash, seriously, stop it!" Poppy said, laughing as he - literally - poked her in the side. She scooted away, and swatted at his shoulder, "Why I used to be intimidated by you is beyond me, your just annoying."

"Ah, my dear, I knew you fell for the dangerous vampire bit." Ash grinned, the tips of his fangs glinting in the light. James growled from Poppy's other side, and Ash retracted his fangs, laughing as he slung an arm behind my chair. I felt like smashing my tray on his head.

"You poor girl, Mare," Keller laughed from across the table, "How you put up with him, is beyond me!" Hah, little did they know, I'm still in the little sister slot. That was the final straw. I stood, pushing my chair back with a screech, and left without another word. It was hard to resist looking back, because I knew what they would be thinking - 'Poor little Mary-Lynette, she's always so good and quiet, why is she angry? She's like my little sibling.' I stomped up the stairs as I ranted to myself in my head, and slammed the bedroom door I shared with Poppy.

A little while later, a soft knock rang through my room. Poppy came in, looking concerned. She sat on the end of my bed without speaking, and I sighed, "Well?"

"What's wrong, Mare? Your never like this," she said hesitantly. I threw my hands in the air, falling backwards to lay on the bed, "Ash is wrong. All wrong. I'm NOT his little sister, and I'm NOT all good and peachy, and I LIKE to be teased every once in awhile!" I ended on a yell, and Poppy raised her eyebrows, slowly saying, "You'd like Ash to treat you like he treats everyone else?"

"Yes! At least he shows interest in you all, with me, its like I'm just being interacted with because we're Soulmates. There's affection, sure, but I can't even remember the last time he kissed me!"

"Maybe he's waiting until he's sure your ready. He is awfully more.. experienced then you." I gave Poppy a look, then pulled a pillow over my face with a groan, "I don't care if he's more experienced. I want to be the one he flirts with!" Poppy was silent for a minute, until she suddenly said, "Wait here." She disappeared, and returned a moment later with Rashel and Jez in tow. I assume they had been briefed on the situation, because Jez gave me a smirk, and said, "Up, little girl. Time to make you gorgeous."

"What?" I asked, confused. Rashel grabbed my arm, and pulled me to the stool in front of my vanity, "Poppy said your upset that Ash doesn't seem to see you anymore. So, we're going to make sure the next time he see's you, will be something he never forgets." Oh, shit. Rashel laughed at the look on my face, and said, "Trust us, Mare. If we women know anything, its how to make a man grovel at our feet. How do you want to look?" I paused, thinking hard about this question. Three questioning faces looked back at me in the vanity, and I met eyes with Jez, and smiled, "I want to look like Jez does."

"How do I look?" Jez asked, amused. I barely had to think about the answer before it was slipping from my lips.

"Badass."

_

* * *

_

After a grueling hour, I walked down the stairs with my head held high. Which was hard, considering the heels Jez forced me into. I'd been poked, prodded, pulled on, you name it. But, it would all be worth it. Lets see Ash ignore me now.

As I got to the bottom of the stairs, I paused, adjusting my outfit one last time. I was wearing _extremely _tight blue jeans, that came in close to my leg right down to the ankle. A black, slightly baggy sweater that refused to reach down to the waist of the jeans, therefore showing a tiny strip of soft, pale skin. My hair had been pulled to the side, curls bouncing down the front of my shoulder, and I was wearing more makeup then I had ever worn in my entire life - put together. I could hear male voices from the games room, and made my way there, knowing the girls weren't far behind me and getting confidence from that. They wanted to see if their magic worked as much as I did.

I walked in, not even pausing at the door to scan the room like I normally did. Heading straight for Ash, who had his back turned, I saw Quinn give me a once over with a huge grin on his face. He took a step back from the foosball table, hands in the air, "You win, Ash."

"What? We weren't even finished!" Ash complained, spinning his goalie in frustration. James had been sitting on a stool, watching, and he laughed, "Oh, I think your done. In fact, I think I might enjoy this."

"Wha-?" Ash started, spinning around to see what they were looking at. When his eyes met mine, he froze in a way only vampires could do. No breathing, no movement. Only his eyes displayed any sign of life. Instead of smiling, I tossed the curls behind my back as instructed, and crossed my arms, "You've been a very, very bad vampire, Ash Redfern. And a very inattentive boyfriend." He made no movement, so I walked forwards, slower then my normal walk, and tapped a finger on my lips, "Now, what do you propose I do about that?" This seemed to spark something in Ash, and he shifted slightly, letting out an unnecessary, long breath, "Where did you get those jeans, Mare?" Quinn and James had moved to join Poppy, Jez and Rashel, who were all laughing at Ash already, but they remained unnoticed to him. I turned around slowly, and shot him what I hoped was a sexy grin, "Why, Ash? Do you like them?" Ash let out a low growl in his throat, and he hissed, "You shouldn't wear those here, don't you know what people might think when they see them?"

"What, Ash? That I'm actually a woman? That I'm, maybe, a little good looking? That I deserve some attention?" I rattled off, momentarily loosing my cool and letting the anger and hurt show. Ash took a minute, then slowly said, "I know all those things, Mare. Is that what this is about?" He took a step closer, and I hesitated, wanting to forgive him instantly when he turned those sad eyes on me. Rashel coughed, and Jez grinned wickedly, shaking her head. I took a deep breath, and stepped away from Ash, the confusion in his eyes evident.

"I'm a woman," I repeated, "And your soulmate. Its time you started remembering that." With that, I glanced over his shoulder, seeing Jez giving me a sultry grin, and pointing at her lips. I did my best to mimick the grin, and turned on my heels, strutting out of the room like I owned the place. As soon as I heard the door close, I took a deep breath, leaning against the wall with my eyes closed. There. I did it.

Moment later, the doors burst open, and Ash practically flew towards me. His eyes had changed - the pupils were larger, and he didn't speak, but grabbed my hips, pulling me closer for a deep kiss. When he finally let me up for air, he ran his hand through my curls, removing the elastic band, and he whispered a curse under his breath, "I'm sorry, Mare." I gave him my usual, cheery smile, and replied, "It worked, though, right?" He let out a laugh, and kissed me again, hauling me up into his arms like he was carrying me across a threshold after a wedding, and nodded, "Oh, it worked. Now, I hope you didn't have anything planned for the next, oh, twenty four hours..." He took off up the stairs at an unnatural speed, and I barely managed to shoot the girls a _very _thankful grin before we were out of sight.


End file.
